Knock, knock~
A knock suddenly sounded, and their hearts jumped twice along with it.
Thunder seemed to rumble directly above the roof ridge. Blinding flashes flickered through the window paper. Everyone inside felt their hearts leap into their throats, their pupils dilated with terror, the whites of their eyes threaded with blood. Overwhelming fear made them breathe rapidly; merely a shadow and a knock had terrified them beyond measure.
The burly man called out tremblingly.
"Wh... who is knocking outside...?"
Silence reigned for a moment.
Then the mysterious visitor outside suddenly spoke, and the voice was unexpectedly pleasant.
"A Jianghu peddler, traveling the Jianghu, abiding by fair trade. I sell the road ahead, the dust of the past, and old tales gone by."
"..."
The little boy and the four people in the west room were dumbfounded, completely unable to understand what that meant. Were traveling peddlers all this frightening? What sort of demon was causing trouble?
Inside the house, the burly man's face instantly turned deathly pale. Sweat soaked his back, and droplets fell from the stubbled point of his chin.
"It... it's here..."
After saying that, he reached for the door. His hand trembled as it stretched forward, then withdrew again.
Through the gap in the doorboards, he saw the white dress outside, and the fear in his heart deepened.
He repeated this several times, frightening the four people in the west room. They did not know why, but they all felt that as long as they did not open the door, they would be safe. Once it opened, the outcome would be impossible to predict. The dilapidated house, swaying on the brink of collapse amid wind and rain, somehow seemed to offer them safety—something impossible to explain.
After hesitating and struggling for a long time, the burly